Why Emilia Clarke Never Mentally Recovered From GoT

The Mother of Dragons hasn't been the same since she conquered Westeros . Ever since Emilia Clarke wrapped up her role as Daenerys Targaryen on HBO's hit series Game of Thrones, she has spoken out about some of the tougher moments she faced both on and off screen. Throughout aher incredibly challenging, decade-long role, the actress survived plenty of harrowing times, no matter how much fame and acclaim she racked up.

In the time since Game of Thrones came to a fiery conclusion, Emilia Clarke has been extraordinarily forthcoming about some of the biggest struggles she dealt with during filming. In short, it's not hard to understand why she hasn't fully recovered from Game of Thrones.

As a fresh-faced star on a huge HBO show, Emilia Clarke seemed destined for stardom thanks to her performance as Daenerys. However, it wasn't until the spring of 2019 that fans realized just how much personal comfort she truly sacrificed for the role. In a New Yorker piece that ran in March of that year, Clarke admitted that she suffered two debilitating brain injuries while filming the first two seasons of Game of Thrones, both of which could have ended her career and life.

After experiencing a serious brain aneurysm right after she wrapped filming on the show's freshman season, Clarke thankfully recovered, but was left frightened, depressed, and anxious about whether or not she would be able to continue working. The actress suffered from aphasia, a condition that renders one unable to speak correctly, in the aftermath of the first aneurysm. During the show's second season, she suffered from serious anxiety and collapsed once, then endured yet another aneurysm after the third season of Thrones wrapped. At that time, Clarke was also preparing for her Broadway debut in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Clarke's co-stars, including Khal Drogo actor Jason Momoa, were incredibly supportive of her speaking out about what she had been through, but the experience was terrifying for the young actress. In the same article, Clarke revealed that she sank to a dark place after her second aneurysm:

"All hope receded. I felt like a shell of myself. So much so that I now have a hard time remembering those dark days in much detail. My mind has blocked them out. But I do remember being convinced that I wasn't going to live."

Beyond her frightening offscreen medical struggles, Emilia Clarke also endured plenty of hardships on the set of Game of Thrones. As a star of a show that was routinely called out for unnecessary stuff, Clarke was unsurprisingly asked to perform a number of scenes. She was often uncomfortable on set and unsure if she could say no until later seasons, once she gained more clout and recognition. Keep watching the video to see why Emilia Clarke never mentally recovered from GoT!

#EmiliaClarke #GoT #GameOfThrones